Move Abroad

79: Why a master’s degree could be your golden ticket to Europe

• Jordan Giberson

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Want to move to Europe but have no idea where to start? This episode lays out one of the simplest ways to make it happen: studying there. Whether it's a full master’s degree or a short-term study abroad program, this route gives you a clear visa path—and can lead to long-term residency.

Inside the episode:

  • Why a master’s degree to move to Europe actually works
  • The visa advantage no one talks about
  • Study abroad vs. full degree—what to know
  • How to choose a country and find English-speaking programs
  • Where tuition is low (or free)
  • Step-by-step process to apply and prepare
  • How this can lead to a job, residency, or permanent move
  • Ways to build your network while you study

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Website: jordangiberson.com
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You don't have to have everything figured out in order to move abroad and get a Master's degree abroad, a Master's or a study abroad program is a powerful stepping stone. It doesn't really lock you into a path. It just will help you open doors for what might lie ahead Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. Thanks for joining me on today's episode. Today we're talking about one of the easiest and smartest ways to move abroad to Europe, and it is by studying there, whether it's through a full master's degree or perhaps you just want to do a short term study abroad. We're going to dive into the how, the why and what happens after if you decide to get a master's degree abroad. So if you're feeling stuck on how to make your move abroad happen, this might just be your best foot in the door. In my time abroad, I have known so many people who have studied abroad, specifically those who have gotten a master's degree. I feel like I know a lot of people who have chosen to get a master's degree and got jobs afterwards. I feel like that's a very common way to move abroad. I still now, which I mean, I'm thankful for, in a way I still have people ask me to this day if I'm a student, which I'm like, no, I'm not a student but I suppose there are people getting their MBAs and still getting master's degrees at my age. And honestly, you can get a master's degree at any age. It doesn't have to be a specific age, but normally it's on the younger side. But I still have people asking me to this day if I'm getting my master's degree. And that's the first question that people ask and the first assumption that they make because they often meet so many people who are international students. That's a lot of times the way that people are able to move abroad. And while it's not the only way to be able to move abroad, and if you're thinking, I really don't wanna get my master's degree, or I already have my master's degree, I don't want a second one, then that is totally fine. There are so many other ways to be able to move abroad, but I do think that's getting a master's degree is a lot of times the golden ticket to get your foot in the door and be able to just move to Europe, and be able to figure out your path afterwards because then you've kind of started building a life and you've built connections and it's a lot easier once you're already living there. So I do think that getting a master's degree is an easier way to be able to move abroad, but it is by no means the only way to move abroad. So please keep that in mind. But I do think that if you want to move abroad, it is one of the easiest paths in order to do so. So I do know so many people, a lot of my friends who have gotten master's degrees and were able to make connections or a lot of them were able to work. A few hours a week, you know, working part-time, 20 hours a week or whatever, and they were able to get full-time positions after that, or they were able to network a bunch and be able to get a job because they already had those connections, or they're just living here. And so companies are more willing to hire them because you're getting rid of that extra hoop to jump through, which is a manager questioning in their minds, you know, is this person actually going to move there and how long is it gonna take? Because in their minds, they might think that it might take a while. So, I do think that there are some benefits to getting a master's degree and it being a bit of an easier path to be able to move abroad. So some other reasons why it's just an ideal move abroad path is because there is a very clear visa route. Student visas are some of the most straightforward, easiest visas to obtain. You really just have to get admitted into a program, and then the visa process is super simple after that. So getting a student visa super easy, very clear visa route. So if you want an easy to get visa, then a student visa could be a good option. There's also lower entry requirements, so unlike getting job visas, you don't need to be sponsored or prove years of work experience. You just have to apply to a program and be able to get into the program and you'll be able to get a visa and be able to move abroad quite quickly and easily. It's also just legitimate. Another reason why it's a good path. So for its legitimacy, governments welcome international students. It's a very well established process. There are thousands of students that study abroad or do master's abroad programs every single year. So it is a very easy path, a very normal path that people take. So it's a very well established process. Another reason why it's just an ideal move abroad path. Another reason why it's a great move abroad path is because it gives you access to Europe. I mean, once you're in the EU, on a student visa, you can often travel and enjoy spending time in other countries pretty much at your leisure, which is one of the reasons why we love the idea of moving abroad to Europe. Another reason why it's an ideal move abroad path to get a master's degree or perhaps just study abroad for a semester or a year, is to build your network abroad. You'll be able to meet locals and meet expats who you can connect with to find future job opportunities. If I wanted to use a master's degree as a jumping off point to move abroad longer term, like if that was my situation, then I would get really close to the advisors. And ask them who they can connect me with and set up coffee dates, like coffee meetups with those people. I would ask every single person that I met up with one-on-one at either an in-person coffee date or, and I'm saying coffee date, you know, a coffee meetup, not a date. Yeah, I would ask every single person that I met up with in person, or if it was online on a Zoom call or whatever, I would ask them who they can connect me with. Like what is one person that they think that can help me get the job that I want after I've kind of shared what I'm looking for. I think a lot of people love helping students. Whenever I was a student and I wanted to move abroad to London, I had so many Zoom calls, like phone calls. I met up with people in person because I had a trip in London before I was actually moving here for a few days where I actually did tons of interviews because I was like, I'm only gonna be here for a few days in person. Can I meet you in person? Can I interview you in person? And I met up with people just to network and so many people were willing to help me because I think people love an opportunity to help each other. Some people don't. Some people are busy and some people will not respond to you. But I think a lot of people, especially whenever you're a student, they want to give back and a lot of people are willing to help you and give you support. So, you know, use that opportunity whenever you're getting your master's degree abroad to connect with as many people as you can. Get as many like networking connections as you can, and if you're able to ask every person that you meet, who else they can connect you with, it kind of keeps that chain going where you're able to slowly build up your network while you're there and you can do it sustainably. You don't have to do it. You know, one person every single day that you're trying to meet up with, and that's all you're doing and you're not enjoying your time there. But I do think that if you're able to get there and make really solid connections, then having a strong network will really help you as you're trying to get a job after you graduate. Another way to meet people is to attend networking events. If I were to be in that position where I was getting my master's degree and I really wanted to use it as a jumping off point to be able to move abroad longer term, I would get close to the advisors who they can connect to with. And ask those people who they can connect me with, like make it a chain reaction. But I would also attend networking events for my industry. So I used to do this last year. I used to go to one networking event every single month to meet more people and just build my connections and build my network in London. So it was something that I really enjoyed because I like meeting new people for me, it's fun. But some people I know are introverts and don't enjoy that. So, you don't have to go all the time or you can just give yourself an hour and say, okay, I'm gonna go for an hour. or once I meet 3 connections that I think would be solid connections for me, then I'll leave. So I think just set yourself a goal if that's something that you don't really enjoy. But I do think that attending network events for your industry while you're getting your master's degree would be really helpful because again, we're trying to use this as a jumping off point to make a longer move abroad and to be able to get a job after you graduate. Another thing that I would try to do is to get part-time work to build even more connections and gain work experience in that country abroad. So you're just building your work experience and you're able to build those connections and build your network even further as you're working with people at that company or other people that you're working with, like if it's partners or clients or whatever that looks like depending on your role. So I think that would be helpful. And I think that it also just gives you an opportunity to potentially work for that company after you graduate because they're getting to know your work ethic and you're getting to know the company and they are gonna be more willing to sponsor your visa if they know you and like you and trust you. So, kind of going on to a little bit of a different topic. I wanted to discuss the master's degrees in Europe versus studying abroad and some of the pros and cons of potentially thinking about both of those options. So I do think that you can get similar results from studying abroad. Maybe it's just a semester, maybe you're thinking about doing a year, or maybe you graduated from your undergrad or your program forever ago and you just are thinking about just doing a full master's degree abroad in Europe or perhaps elsewhere. That's totally fine, but just wanted to touch base on some of those pros and cons from each. So master's degree, I think some of the pros of getting a master's degree in Europe are that many are about a year long versus 2 potentially in the US. So it won't take you as long to like get your master's degree. They are also affordable or even free for tuition, depending on the country and the university. But if you're thinking about places like Germany or Norway or Finland, they have affordable or even free tuition. So if you're considering one of those countries, then you're in luck because it might be a whole lot cheaper for you to go study there. Another pro of getting a master's degree is that it offers you the opportunity to stay after graduation on a job search visa or a work visa. A lot of European countries do offer this, which is incredible because it does give you an opportunity where IT company might not need to sponsor you to sponsor your visa, which means that they're paying for your visa and kind of claiming you to say they're kind of responsible for you, and then you work for the company. So you kind of you won't have to do that because you'll have your own visa because a lot of countries will allow you to work and stay in that country for a year or 2 years, or potentially even up to 3. So I do think that that would be a good opportunity for you as well if you're wanting to stay on after your master's degree. Another pro of getting a master's degree is the international recognition. It looks really great on your resume, so even if you decide that you loved living there for a year to get your master's and you really just wanna move back to your home country, then you still have great international recognition for that university and for the master's degree that you got. And it will look really incredible on your resume as you are looking for jobs after graduation in your home country. So that is a win-win. There are really great schools in Europe that can give you just as good, if not a better education than schools in the US. And it obviously depends on the school that you go to and the program that you're in. But there are really great schools in Europe, so don't think that the US has all the best schools. And if you go somewhere else and your school won't be recognized or your degree won't be recognized, it's not true. It will look really good on your resume and there are some really, really solid, well-known programs in Europe. Another pro of getting your master's degree in Europe is that it is a great testing period to see if you actually do want to move abroad to that location, and it can provide time to scout out other places that you might consider moving to instead. It's just a great opportunity. We are not totally locked into living there. But you're just kind of testing the waters and seeing if you want to live there past your graduation or maybe you live there for the year, like we said, and we say, you know what? That was a great experience. That's gonna look really great on my resume, but now I'm gonna move back home to my home country and find a job there. And then some potential cons of getting a master's degree in Europe. One could be just the need to prepare your application materials. It can be just time consuming and annoying to have to do. You may need to prove your finances for your visa because the countries will just wanna make sure that you are able to live there and that you won't become homeless and use all of the public funds. You might need to research programs that will be in English, so that might be a consideration for you, and this might just not be your ideal path to go abroad. Let's be honest. Not everyone wants to go back to school. Not everyone wants to pay for a program. Not everyone wants to just be a student again. That was kind of me. I had considered doing a master's degree abroad, but I had just graduated with my master's degree and I was like. I'm really done with school. I don't wanna get my master's degree, like a different master's degree and go through another program again, I just really didn't want to do that. I had slightly considered doing an MBA, I thought that that might be a good path for me, a good option, but at the time I was like, no, it's just not the path that I'm willing to go down. But like I said earlier in the episode, I know so many people who have gotten a master's degree abroad and it's been a great jumping off point for them. And they've been working in London, or in other countries in Europe for years after getting their master's degree. So I do think that it's a great jumping off point. But it was just a path that I was like. Eh, it's just not something that I wanna do. It's not my ideal path to go abroad. I'm gonna find another way. So like I said also in the beginning of the episode, this does not have to be the only way abroad, and you don't have to be a student. You don't have to get a master's degree. But I do think that it can be such a great way to kind of step into it and to get a foot in the door. It's a great way to get a foot in the door. So those were some pros and cons of getting a master's degree. And then now I wanted to discuss some pros and cons of just studying abroad. So this could be a study abroad during your undergraduate or during your postgrad if you're already perhaps getting a master's degree in the US or another country. Or you might be enrolled in a program already. So some pros of potentially studying abroad, or that one, you know, it's just a shorter time commitment. You could study for a shorter period of time in another country where it's you're just dipping your toe in the water, but you're not kind of committing to a whole year of studying abroad during a master's degree. So that could be a pro. Another pro is that it's just great for testing out if living abroad is for you. Again, just kinda like dipping your toe in the water, you know, you're not committing, you're just testing it out. And the other pro is that it's just super easy to apply through your home university. It should be a very straightforward process and it shouldn't be as stressful as finding a master's program, one that speaks English, getting the visa, kind of forging your own path. If you study abroad, it might just be a bit easier. So one of the pros is that it would just be super easy to just apply through your home university if you want to study abroad. And then a couple cons is that it's just such a limited timeframe. I mean, that could be a positive or a negative for you depending on you. I mean, you could say, oh, the shorter time commitment is ideal because I get time to test it out, but I'm not giving too much or risking too much. But then a con could be that it is a limited timeframe, so it may only just be for a semester or a year, and that doesn't feel like enough time for you. So depending on how you look at it, it could be a pro or con. And con might also be, it could be a little bit harder to transition to work visa unless you stay and pursue further education or a job if you're just studying abroad versus getting your Master's degree abroad. So just something to consider if you're thinking about studying abroad versus getting a Master's degree abroad. Okay, so I want to transition slightly and now talk about how to practically make this happen. So let's talk step by step on how you would get a Master's degree abroad and get yourself over to Europe. Step number 1 would be to choose your goal. Do you want to get a degree or are you looking for just a short term experience? It really depends, whether you're currently going to school, you know, whether you're getting a full master's degree, for example, or if you're just going to get a short term study abroad experience. So the question really to be asking yourself is, are you currently in school? Another question that you should be asking yourself is, do you want to stay in Europe longer term? Even if you weren't originally considering doing a master's degree abroad, is it worth it to you to do it, to help you get abroad and get your foot in the door? I think that is the golden question. Whether it's worth it to you to get your master's degree. Maybe it's something that you had considered anyways, and this just feels like a very natural transition and a very natural thing to do to get your foot in the door in Europe. Or maybe you were like me, where you're thinking, I really don't wanna get my master's degree. I've already done that, or it's just not something that I would consider and not something that I want. And that's also totally fine, there's so many other ways to be able to move abroad. So I think it's just figuring out where you're at with that and whether it's worth it to you to help you get your foot in the door to be able to move abroad to Europe. So that's step number 1 is just choosing your goal. Deciding if you do want to study abroad or get your master's degree abroad, what makes the most sense? And also if it's your ideal path abroad that you want to take. Step number 2 is to research countries. You will want to look at countries with English language programs more than likely, so some countries that have English language programs would be the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal. There might be other countries that do have English language programs, but you'll just want to find the university that I think about going to one that makes sense for what you're wanting to study and just make sure that they do speak English once you find the program that you want to go to, and maybe you start out with the city, you search for universities in Velocity or in blah country, and then you kind of go from there. But just make sure that they do speak English. Unless you know Italian really well and you're gonna go to Italy and you want to strengthen your Italian because you already know it, then that could be cool as well. And good for you for knowing Italian. Some countries with cheap or free tuition might want to be considered as well. Germany, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic are a few examples that have cheap or free tuition, so something to consider. So step number 3 would be to look at university programs. So once you've decided on the country that you want to move to for your program, one that has English language programs and that potentially has cheaper free tuition, which would be great. Then to look at the university programs, that will be your step number 3, so you can use sites like masters portal.com. That's M-A-S-T-E-R-S-P-O-R-T-A-L.com. Or another site like study.Eu, so that's just the word, study.Eu. And then you can also just go to university websites directly to understand the program and what it entails, what it could look like for you. So that would be step number 3 is looking into the university programs and deciding which university you want to go to. Step number 4 would be to understand the Visa requirements. Most will require proof of acceptance into a program. So whenever you're applying for your student visa, you just have to prove that, hey, I did get into a program. You might also need to provide proof of funds to make sure that you're not going to be becoming homeless whenever you move there. And then the country needs to take care of you. You might also need to provide proof of health insurance. A lot of visas will require you to provide like basically like travel health insurance, which isn't too expensive every month, but it might be something that you need to provide proof of. And then just your passport and photos, for example. So it shouldn't be too strenuous to be able to apply for the visa. It's a well trodden path. Many people have studied abroad and done master's degrees abroad, so it shouldn't be too complicated to understand the Visa requirements and to apply for the visa, but that will be the next step that you take. So that's our step number 4, understand the Visa requirements. And then step number 5 will be to consider scholarships and figure out your funding. Many EU universities offer scholarships for non-EU students. So if you are American or you're from a country that's not in the EU, which basically means Europe, or it's you know, most of Europe, then you can qualify for scholarships. So that's something to look into. A few options for resources to look into scholarships and funding. One would be the E-R-A-S-M-U-S plus for study abroad options. So that's for study abroad. Erasmus, that's what it's called, Erasmus Plus. So that could be something to look into. And then there's also just other external scholarships like. Fulbright or daad, DAAD for Germany and so many others. If you are looking to get a scholarship for studying abroad or for your near master's degree abroad, I would just do a quick Google search just to see what scholarships are available and what funding looks like to understand your finances and what that could potentially look like for you. So that would be step number 5 is to consider scholarships and funding. And then step number 6 would be to prepare your application. You might want to start 8 to 12 months in advance whenever we're thinking about the timeline for preparing your application. I think start earlier rather than later, so you make sure to apply before the deadlines hit, or at least do some research to choose the school or schools that you want to apply to and see what their deadlines are for the application. Just to make sure that you apply before those deadline dates, because it would be super sad if you kind of wait until the last minute and you think, I'm just gonna apply, you know? 4 months in advance or 3 months in advance, and then you realize, oh my goodness, the application deadline is in a week, or It passed a week ago, and that would be really, really sad. So make sure that you're starting a few months in advance, giving yourself more time and earlier is better. Might as well just go ahead and get it done. The things that you'll typically need to prepare your application would be your Bachelor's degree transcript. You might need a statement of purpose just explaining the study program that you're planning on doing. You might need your letters of recommendation and then just proof of English proficiency. Like the T-O-E-F-L or I-E-L-T-S, just as a couple examples. But if you're coming from an English speaking country, you might not need to provide this. It'll just depend. But those are some of the things that you'll need. It shouldn't be too strenuous of a list. It shouldn't be too complicated to prepare your application. But those are some of the things that you might need for your application. So those would be the steps that I would take if I wanted to make that happen. To get a Master's degree abroad. I would choose my goal of whether I'm actually gonna get my master's degree or I'm gonna study abroad. Then 2 is to research the country that you want to move to, and you might wanna consider looking at countries that have English language programs and also countries that have cheap or free tuition in Europe. Step number 3 would be to look at specific university programs that align with the goals and the degree that you're willing to get. Step number 4 would be to understand the Visa requirements, and then step number 5 is to consider your scholarships and funding and kind of get that all sorted. And then step number 6 would be to prepare your application. So those are the steps that I would take to get myself set up to be able to move abroad and get my master's degree. So I do think that studying can be a great long-term move abroad strategy. You'll have to figure out the strategy that makes the most sense for you. You might not have been considering getting a master's degree, but then after this conversation, or maybe over the past few weeks and months, you've kind of reconsidered that. Or maybe, you know, it's something that you've always really wanted or you might be like, me and you are like, I just got my master's degree, or I just really don't wanna go back to school. And you might decide on a different path. But I do think that getting a master's degree or studying in Europe in general, maybe it's a study abroad program, can be a great long-term move abroad strategy. And I've known so many people who have done that. So there are great post-study work visas. That's one of the reasons why it can be a great long-term strategy. Many countries offer extensions so you can stay and find work after graduation. We've touched on that a little bit earlier in the episode whenever we are talking about pros of getting a master's degree. But I do think that's a massive pro and one of the reasons why it's such a great path to move abroad long term. In Germany for example, there is an option to get a job seeker visa after graduation that lasts for over a year. In the Netherlands, you have orientation year visa. In Ireland there's 1 to 2 years post study work rights. So you can work a couple years after you've graduated. The UK has something similar where you can get a visa and you can work for a couple years on that visa. So there are great post-study work visas. Pretty much every country has an option like that. So once you do study there, then you do have the right to work there afterwards, which is great because companies won't need to sponsor you in order to get a visa. You just already have the right to do that. And then once you've been working there a couple years and you've kind of proved your worth and everything, then it's a lot easier to get another visa like I did. I mean I didn't study, but I had a visa. I had been living here for a couple years and the company was a startup and they were basically moving the whole company over to Italy and they said, Hey everyone, you are going to lose your jobs and Jordan, you're probably gonna lose your visa by the state, so you'll have to figure something else out. And I applied like a crazy person and I did get another job. But I think that it did help me that I had already had some work experience. So I do think that it makes the transition a little bit easier once you've already been living there and you've established yourself and you've already been working for a couple years because of the post-study work visa option. So do you think that it makes for an easier transition and that's why getting a master's degree could be your golden ticket to Europe? So I do think that considering this would be a potentially a great option for you. Another reason why it's a great long term strategy to study abroad, or to get your master's degree abroad is because it could potentially lead to a path for residency or citizenship. Some countries count study years towards permanent residency. Not every country does this, but if you are thinking long-term and you want to potentially get your permanent residency, which is the equivalent of getting a green card in the US for example, or you want to just go ahead and get your citizenship. There are countries that do count your study years towards that, but it does depend on the country. So like Estonia and Spain, Germany, Netherlands, count some of your years towards your permanent residency, and if you land a job afterwards, you can transition to a work visa and then potentially permanent residency after you have a work visa for a certain number of years. And normally it's about 5 years, but it does depend on the countries. So you'll have to look at the specific country you want to move to and figure out what that might look like. And then another reason why it's just a great long-term move abroad strategy is that it helps you just start building a life. You can find a job while you study, which I think is another great bonus of getting a master's degree abroad. You could potentially meet a partner, you know, your husband or wife, you can start freelancing while you're there or you can open a business. It all just becomes options once you're legally living in Europe, so you can just start to slowly build your life abroad and it is a great way to kind of test the waters and just start building that life abroad that you've been wanting for a long time. So in order to get a master's degree, which could be your golden ticket to be able to move to Europe, you don't have to have everything figured out to start. I'd say just start. You can even look at the, you know, step-by-step guide that we talked through a second ago to figure out your first step and start taking your first steps forward to get a master's degree abroad. But you don't have to have everything figured out in order to move abroad and get a Master's degree abroad, a Master's or a study abroad program is a powerful stepping stone. It doesn't really lock you into a path. It just will help you open doors for what might lie ahead after you get your master's degree or even during your program if you're able to work for a few hours a week if you've been stuck in indecision. This is a very doable path with a clear timeline and a lot of support. You study with a group of similar minded people at the universities and universities provide support as well, which I think makes for an easier and smoother transition to moving abroad and adjusting to life abroad. So I do think that getting a master's degree could be a great stepping stone and foot in the door in order to move abroad to Europe. So that is it for me for today's episode. I hope that after this episode you have a clearer picture of what it might look like to get a master's degree abroad or potentially just do a study abroad program and some of the pros and cons and the process for being able to make that happen for yourself. So I hope that this episode was helpful if that's something that you have been considering, or maybe you weren't considering it before, but now after listening to the episode, you are kind of reconsidering or thinking that it might actually be a good option for you. So, like I said a couple times, this is not the only path to be able to move abroad. But I do know so many people that have used a master's degree as a stepping stone in order to move abroad. So I do think that it is a really great option and something that you should consider. So, I hope that this episode was helpful for you. If you have enjoyed this episode, I would so appreciate it if you left a rating and a review for the episode, it would mean so much to me. It does matter, I feel like sometimes I'm kind of talking to the void and I, it does like matter to me a lot whenever you leave a review. And it just helps me potentially connect with more people who are also considering moving abroad. So I would greatly appreciate it if you've been enjoying the podcast and this episode. And if you haven't done so, you can also take that free quiz that I have, which is which European city should you move to? I think that it does help connect you to a European city that does match your vibe and what you're looking for in order to move abroad. And if you haven't already, you can also take the quiz, which European City should you move to? So if you aren't exactly sure where you want to move abroad to in Europe, or you want some validation to make sure that you are choosing the best European city for you, then go take that quiz. It's at Jordangiberson.com/quiz, or the link is also in the podcast description, so you can easily click on it there and it takes you about 2 minutes to be able to do, and then you can get matched with the perfect European city for you. So that is it for me for today's episode. I will see you here again next week, same time, same place. I'll catch you then.